Joint n.
 1. The place or part where two things or parts are joined or united; the union of two or more smooth or even surfaces admitting of a close-fitting or junction; junction; as, a joint between two pieces of timber; a joint in a pipe.
 2. A joining of two things or parts so as to admit of motion; an articulation, whether movable or not; a hinge; as, the knee joint; a node or joint of a stem; a ball and socket joint.  See Articulation.
 A scaly gauntlet now, with joints of steel,
 Must glove this hand.   --Shak.
    To tear thee joint by joint.   --Milton.
 3. The part or space included between two joints, knots, nodes, or articulations; as, a joint of cane or of a grass stem; a joint of the leg.
 4. Any one of the large pieces of meat, as cut into portions by the butcher for roasting.
 5. Geol. A plane of fracture, or divisional plane, of a rock transverse to the stratification.
 6. Arch. The space between the adjacent surfaces of two bodies joined and held together, as by means of cement, mortar, etc.; as, a thin joint.
 7. The means whereby the meeting surfaces of pieces in a structure are secured together.
 8.  A projecting or retreating part in something; any irregularity of line or surface, as in a wall. [Now Chiefly U. S.]
 9.  Theaters A narrow piece of scenery used to join together two flats or wings of an interior setting.
 10.  a disreputable establishment, or a place of low resort, as for smoking opium; -- also used for a commercial establishment, implying a less than impeccable reputation, but often in jest; as, talking about a high-class joint is an oxymoron. [Slang]
 Coursing joint Masonry, the mortar joint between two courses of bricks or stones.
 Fish joint, Miter joint, Universal joint, etc. See under Fish, Miter, etc.
 Joint bolt, a bolt for fastening two pieces, as of wood, one endwise to the other, having a nut embedded in one of the pieces.
 Joint chair Railroad, the chair that supports the ends of abutting rails.
 Joint coupling, a universal joint for coupling shafting. See under Universal.
 Joint hinge, a hinge having long leaves; a strap hinge.
 Joint splice, a reënforce at a joint, to sustain the parts in their true relation.
 Joint stool. (a) A stool consisting of jointed parts; a folding stool. --Shak. (b) A block for supporting the end of a piece at a joint; a joint chair.
 Out of joint, out of place; dislocated, as when the head of a bone slips from its socket; hence, not working well together; disordered. “The time is out of joint.” --Shak.


 Mi·ter, Mi·tre  n.
 1. A covering for the head, worn on solemn occasions by bishops and other church dignitaries.  It has been made in many forms, the present form being a lofty cap with two points or peaks.
 2. The surface forming the beveled end or edge of a piece where a miter joint is made; also, a joint formed or a junction effected by two beveled ends or edges; a miter joint.
 3. Numis. A sort of base money or coin.
 Miter box Carp. & Print., an apparatus for guiding a handsaw at the proper angle in making a miter joint; esp., a wooden or metal trough with vertical kerfs in its upright sides, for guides.
 Miter dovetail Carp., a kind of dovetail for a miter joint in which there is only one joint line visible, and that at the angle.
 Miter gauge Carp., a gauge for determining the angle of a miter.
 Miter joint, a joint formed by pieces matched and united upon a line bisecting the angle of junction, as by the beveled ends of two pieces of molding or brass rule, etc.  The term is used especially when the pieces form a right angle, such as the edges of a window frame, and the edge of each piece at the point of junction is cut at a 45° angle to its long direction.  See Miter, 2.
 Miter shell Zool., any one of numerous species of marine univalve shells of the genus Mitra.
 Miter square Carp., a bevel with an immovable arm at an angle of 45°, for striking lines on stuff to be mitered; also, a square with an arm adjustable to any angle.
 Miter wheels, a pair of bevel gears, of equal diameter, adapted for working together, usually with their axes at right angles.


 miter joint
      n : joint that forms a corner; usually both sides are bevelled
          at a 45-degree angle to form a 90-degree corner [syn: {mitre
          joint, miter, mitre]